KR Kabuto: Walking the Path to the Future
by Kaji Motomiya
Summary: The world's greatest man had passed away, leaving behind his son to take on his title. Unsure of himself, Tendou Toushi must choose whether to be the man people expect him to be or walk his own path. Witness the sequel of KR Kabuto in 2038 & 2008.
1. The Mantle is Passed

Chapter 1: The Mantle is Passed

Author's Note: Because I do not like repeating myself every chapter, I'm only going to say this once. I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto, or Kamen Rider itself. However, I own rights to the made-up characters in this fanfic, and that are those in 2038 and one in 2008. That is all.

-

On February 17, 2036, the world's greatest man died. Perfect in everyway, even he couldn't avoid the shackles of life and death. He was known for the events of January 21, 2007, in which he and his ally defeated the company known as ZECT and the evil malicious Worms they controlled. Many missed him, especially those close to him. He left behind two children, an older daughter and a younger son, yet one did not mourn the loss of life. The son felt impartial to this loss of life so he wouldn't be compared to the man who now walks the path of heaven.

Two years have passed, and ZECT had been reborn as OMNI-ZECT. OMNI-ZECT controls Japan's economics, in return for defeating the Worms that returned on a meteor that crashed in Shibuya a year before. To combat the new Worm threat, OMNI-ZECT created five new Zecters to defeat the new Worms. But somehow, the Worms have been able to adapt to a new form of power known as HYPER CLOCK UP and travel to the past. Reports also indicate that one of OMNI-ZECT's new Zecters, the Atlas Zecter, escaped. The world now turns to the hands of a man, a man who walks the path of heaven, even if he is only a mirror image.

-

"FIRE!!" yelled an OMNI-ZECT Trooper. They resembled expendable Kamen Riders with an ant motif carrying arm-attached machine-guns. They fired on a group of green chrysalis-shaped Worms known as Salis, the basic forms of the Worms. They stepped back as their bullet casings hit the ground, the bullets themselves hitting the Worms that were slowly advancing. "Captain!" exclaimed one of them, looking down at his wrist band. "They're still advancing!"

"Then counterattack," replied a voice from the wristband.

"Platoon B," said the OMNI-ZECT Trooper at the front, "attack from their right flank! Platoon C, follow suit on their left. Do NOT let them molt! Platoon A, full fire!" A group of Troopers moved to their left, the other to their right, and now the Worms were caught by all three Platoons, now being fired upon. While a few of them were beginning to fall, three of them were already molting. "No!" It was too late. Three of the Salis Worms had taken a new, grotesque, form similar to spiders and disappeared, sending the Platoons B and C flying. The same was done for Platoon A. All was left was one Trooper left alive while his comrades had fallen, injured or dead. "Captain…three of the Worms have escaped…the mission was a failure…"

A middle-aged man laid back on his chair in a van parked outside the warehouse, surrounded by technology around him. "This feels awfully familiar…" he said to himself and rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease his headache. "If only I still had IT…ugh…"

-

It was early in the morning as a female with messy hair descended the stairs of the Tendou household. Her glasses were crooked, and she was still groggy from sleeping. She didn't see him in the kitchen, meaning he must be down there, as usual. "Stupid boy…" she sighed. "He's twenty-one, and he doesn't do anything but train, train, TRAIN!" She headed for a door on the side and opened it, hearing the echoes of pounding and chains clanking. "Toushi! Tendou Toushi, get up here!"

In the basement, where little light shown through the high windows, a male was punching away at a punching back chained from the ceiling. His hands were wrapped in bandages to prevent his skin from opening from the punches impacting with the leather. As he punched, his sweat flew off from his hair, splattering across the concrete ground. With one final punch, he finally stopped, breathing heavily. He could hear a female voice calling his name. "I'm coming!" he called back and took his towel resting on the side and wiping his hair with it. He walked up the stairs to look up at his sister. "You're up early today, Aki-nee-san."

"UGH!" Aki gasped and held her nose, stepping back a bit. "You reek! Reek of sweat! How long were you down there, hours?!" He stepped back some more to the coffee table and took in a deep breath of fresh air. "Go! Go take a shower right now! If I have to smell that anymore, I'm not gonna make it to work!" She began to push Toushi up the stairs, and when he had left, she started to wipe her hands on the wall in disgust. "Seriously, how long was he down there…"

Around twenty minutes later, Toushi descended the stairs in fresh clothing to find his sister on the couch, waiting for him. "Ah, right," he sighed and went straight into the kitchen, where in half an hour cooked a breakfast feast for her, which consisted of miso soup, tamagoyaki, broiled aji, steamed rice, and natto (fermented soy beans). Smelling this, Aki jumped out of the couch and ran to the table, taking her chopsticks as Toushi chuckled and took his place on the couch.

"Ittaidekimasu!" she exclaimed and began to eat. Oh god, was the food full of bliss, she thought. "Once again, otouto-chan," she said to her little brother, "your food is GOOD!" She made sure to say "good" in English, which is how she expressed her love for his food. She stopped eating and looked at Toushi, who was reading a newspaper article about an attack at a warehouse. She began to panic and had to grab his attention. "T-Toushi-kun!" she called to him. "When are you going to get a job? You're twenty-one already, and you're still jobless!"

Toushi let out a small sigh and put down the newspaper. "Don't you remember what tou-san once told us?" he said to Aki and pointed to the sky. "'The world is yours. When it is within your reach, grab it.' I'll find one when I find the thing I am looking for."

This puzzled Aki a little as she tilted her head. "What is it that you are looking for?" Her eyes trailed off to look at her watch. It was 7:30 AM, and she panicked. "Ah! I'm late! I'm supposed to be off with my manager for discussing a collaboration work with the artist, Hayabusa!" Forcing herself to finish the food, she jumped out of her chair and ran to her little brother. She embraced him, kissed his cheek, and ran out the door. "Don't wait up for me!"

Toushi watched her leave with wonder and sighed once more, looking at the clock. "Maybe I should find a job," he thought to himself aloud and looked down at his clothes. These were his father's clothes…well, when he whore these, he looked a bit like his father in a way. "I'll leave in a bit…I'm kind of hungry myself…" Then he got up to make himself some breakfast.

Two hours later, around nine in the morning, Toushi took off with his straw cowboy hat and black scarf on.

-

As Toushi wandered the shopping districts, he saw a girl riding a bike his way. He stepped out to the side to the side to give her room. He noticed that her bag that covered a bit of the letters had the last three letters "-ECT". Did she…no, not a girl that young. She looked like she had just graduated high school, too. Well, it was April. To be out of school this early means that she isn't going to college and finding a job. How old was she…well, it wasn't his business but to find a job for himself.

Just as he stopped walking, he looked up to find a restaurant with a wooden sign called the Bistro La Salle. It was…pretty wide. Toushi remembered that his father said he had once worked there, or knew someone who worked there. There was also a HELP WANTED sign on the window, and Toushi recalled the words that he had said to Aki that his father passed down to him. "The world is mine. Once it is within my reach, grab it…" He walked toward the door and slowly opened it, the bell ringing.

As he walked in, he froze, feeling something rubbing against his leg and purring. It was a cat, a silver cat, long and slender and furry. "Cho-chan!" exclaimed a middle-aged lady as she ran out from the back and picked up the cat, now dangling on her arms. She looked up at in shock at Toushi. "I-It's you…" she gasped, now stuttering. Toushi raised his eyebrows and looked at the woman questionably. She shook her head, upon realizing who Toushi was and led him to a seat. "I-I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else…Do you happen to know-"

"Tendou Souji?" said Toushi, smirking a little. "You can say I'm closer to him than you realize."

The woman sighed and smiled. "Well, it's a little early, and I'm still getting everything ready. If you need anything, my name is Kagami." Kagami…that name sounded familiar. Toushi sighed and looked at his clock. 9:34. Damn, why did that woman look so familiar? "Are you okay?" asked Ms. Kagami from the counter.

"N-No, it's fine," said Toushi as he looked at the HELP WANTED sign, from the back reading PLEH DETNAW.

Ms. Kagami looked at what Toushi was gazing at and smiled. "We…do have one opening. You see, our last cook…well, disappeared by unknown means." She walked out from behind and sat across from Toushi, now having his full attention. "Hey, do you know about the Worms?"

"Worms?" Toushi thought and looked up to the ceiling to think. "You mean…those insect-like monsters. Tou-san said he used to fight against those during his younger days."

The woman smiled and looked at a picture on the side, showing a man and a woman happily smiling. "My husband works at OMNI-ZECT to battle the Worms that returned last year. He said that it was a sign to start over and make his own path, just as his dear friend had told him to. They got into fights a lot, but deep down, that man cared for my husband. It's too bad that he…he's long and gone now…"

Toushi was surprised by the woman's words as he leaned in. "Kagami-san…" he started, "do you…know my father?"

She simply smiled and stood up, going to the back. "Well, if you want that job, I have to see your skills. If they're anything like your father's, that is." Who IS this woman, Toushi thought. How did she know so much about his father? There was a picture of the woman in his house as well, similar to the one in the restaurant. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew it was so familiar.

-

Back at the OMNI-ZECT headquarters, the girl from before, now wearing a uniform, walked towards the restricted area where only top employees can pass. She held out her I.D., and the guard let her in. She ventured down a long corridor and opened the door to her right, revealing a middle-aged man and a young woman in her late twenties talking to each other. "Captain, Aki-san," she greeted and took her seat, setting her bag down.

Aki looked up and fixed her glasses. "Oh, Orihime-san," she replied in surprise, not realizing that her younger subordinate had arrive. "You're earlier than usual, but yet again, the other two beat you to the punch. They're training right now."

"Muscle-heads," Orihime sighed and slid back onto her chair. She looked at the Captain, as busy in his work as ever. "So, how's the wife?" she asked. "I just saw her a bit ago, so you don't have to answer."

The Captain didn't speak, so Aki cleared her throat to end the awkward silence between the two. "Orihime, we have an important assignment for you." She took out what looked like a metal belt and handed it to her. "This is the Atlas Belt."

"Atlas?!" Orihime gasped, standing up. "But…that was supposed to be a lost, right?" She looked down at the belt and wondered who it was for. "That means we found a candidate for the fifth Rider, right?"

"That's right," Aki answered and opened up a database on the past Riders. "The Kabuto, Gatack, TheBee, Drake, and Sasword were originally made by the previous ZECT, the two Hopper Zecters following after, though those were somehow taken by unknown means." She shifted the view to five new Zecters that lined themselves up under the original five. "These are the Zecters that OMNI-ZECT has created. A difference between these and the past Zecters is that these Zecters have been designed with a DNA Recognition System so a different person will not obtain these Zecters."

"I see…" Orihime nodded and looked down at the Atlas Zecter. "And…this one will automatically identify the new Rider that will wear this belt," she thought aloud. "I just have to deliver it to the person, right? Where will I meet him or her?"

-

She traveled to the business district, remembering that Aki had told her that her client would be found near Tokyo Tower at night. Orihime was an early bird, and she hated that two of her subordinates were always earlier than her. She found herself at a Café nearby and sat there, looking at Tokyo Tower. It wouldn't be long, the exchange was supposed to be at 11:30. She looked at her watch that read 10:43. "…Why am I always too early…excuse me! Coffee, please!"

-

At the Bistro La Salle, Ms. Kagami was watching Toushi make three different dishes at the same time, balancing his time and energy needed to make them. He wasn't rushing; he was pacing himself and equally dividing everything. In awhile, it was done. They weren't Japanese, but Italian, French, and Russian. As Ms. Kagami tasted them, her face lit up. "Just like your father," she smiled and put down her utensil. "Although I was never a fan of his hot food, I could never deny that his cooking was one of a kind."

Toushi looked to the side, then at the window. "Tou-san once told me," he said, "'Flavor of the soul is essential to the food of the heavens.' As long as I follow his words, I can cook anything, as long as my soul is in it." He looked down at the food he cooked and found himself talking like his father, which gave him a bitter look.

"Well, your soul got you a job," Ms. Kagami smiled and pat Toushi on the back. "I trust you'll be able to work here full time!"

"Ah…" Toushi nodded and left the backroom, taking off his apron. "I'll be start tomorrow morning."

"What did you say your name was again?"

The name…Toushi paused and raised his hand to the sky, pointing at it. "The man who walks the path of heaven, though he is only a mirror image." He gave a disheartened smile and turned his head to Ms. Kagami. "Tendou…Toushi."

As Toushi began to leave, Ms. Kagami waved to him and said, "Say hi to Aki-chan for me." This halted Toushi's leave as he turned back to Ms. Kagami in disbelief. How much about his family does she know? He felt a little weirded out and proceeded out the door.

The male found himself standing on the sidewalk with a van speeding past him. Something like this hasn't happened in awhile, and it looked like it was headed toward Tokyo Tower. It shouldn't take long to reach it, so he started to run after the van. After a while, he found a battle between armored soldiers that looked like ants attacking a man who held someone…who looked just like him in his hand! Behind him was the girl riding past him earlier in the morning, holding a steel suitcase. If they were attacking the man, who was taking the bullets like they were made of paper, he must not be human. Toushi ran down toward Tokyo Tower and went around where no one can see him.

"Object spotted!" Aki called from the van to her troops of OMNI-ZECT Troopers. "Target is definitely a Worm, presumably the one of the few that had molted before. Take care of it before it uses its Clock Up."

It was too late. The worm began to shed its human form, taking on a white spider form and began to Clock Up. All of a sudden, the soldiers were flying in the air, hitting the ground in pain. Some weren't moving at all. It turned to Orihime, who seemed like she was looking for something. "Where is it…where did I leave it?!" she exclaimed as it walked toward her. She flinched when it reached out to grab her, but a hand grabbed the Worm's wrist, and a foot launched into its stomach, sending it back a little. She looked up to see Toushi, standing infront of her. "You're the guy I passed this morning…"

"I see…so you're working for OMNI-ZECT," Toushi replied and took the suitcase from her. When she tried to get it back, he simply pushed her to the back, now stepping forward. "I heard about the incident, about OMNI-ZECT losing a Zecter. So…I've come to claim it." He opened the suitcase, allowing the steel Rider Belt falling into his left hand, and he put on the belt. DNA INPUTTED, said the belt, and the sound of a hum filled the air, perplexing even the Worm.

"Who is that?!" Aki gasped, trying to make out the figure standing infront of Orihime. Because of his attire, she couldn't make him out, especially with a part of the Tokyo Tower blocking her view. But she saw the belt around his waist, and she called out, "Someone stop him!"

The Captain, however, kept her from leaving the van. There was a smile on his face. He knew something she didn't know. "Sit back and watch…"

"Captain…"

The hum grew louder, and out of the sky flew down a golden metal beetle, flying around Orihime, then Toushi. "It's…the Atlas Zecter!" she gasped, unbelieving that the Atlas Zecter would come to a man not of OMNI-ZECT.

"I see…so you're my aibou," said Toushi and grabbed the Zecter in his hand. Slowly, he looked at the Worm, who was about to attack. "Henshin…" Then he slid the Zecter into the belt, the Zecter responding, HENSHIN, and his body changed form into a bulky metallic form. The Worm thrusted its fist forward, but Toushi, now as a suited warrior, parried and gave a roundhouse kick to the stomach. The Worm began to Clock Up and sent Toushi flying, but when it came close, he would punch it. The Worm would lose its Clock Up, but reinitiate it. Toushi was out matched due to its Clock Up, being tossed around so easily.

Orihime was watching in horror, unable to do anything. "I can't find it…I must've left my bag in the Café!" she realized and proceeded to watch the fight. Her defender was being tossed around too easily. All of a sudden, she blurted, "Cast off! Use the Cast Off system!"

"I know," Toushi replied and blocked the Worm's Clock Upped kick, now standing up slowly. "I know what this thing is. After all…I will rule everything." He pushed back the Worm with a side kick and took the top twin horns on the Atlas Zecter with his right hand, pulling it back. "Cast Off." Then he pushed the main horn to the back of the Zecter with his left hand, the Zecter responding, CAST OFF. The body armor began to peel off and launched the pieces towards the Worm, sending it back. The front horn began to fold over the blue visor of the helmet, forming a two separate eyes. The eyes lit up and blinked a little to finalize the transformation. CHANGE BEETLE!

Aki was in shock, sitting back onto her chair. "The Atlas Zecter…Kamen Rider Atlas!"

Kamen Rider Atlas, the golden beetle, began walking to Worm calmly as it started to step back, probably in fear. Then it lunged forward to attack, but Atlas caught the attack, uppercutting the Aracneaworm Rubor and launching punches at its upper chest and face. The Worm screeched and began to Clock Up. Atlas simply looked on and placed his hand on the side padding, pressing it. "Clock Up." The Zecter echoed, CLOCK UP, and Atlas disappeared.

"Wh-what?!" Orihime gasped and stood up, shocked that the two had disappeared. "Dammit! Aki-san, I failed the mission! What did I do now?!"

"You do nothing," replied the Captain, and Orihime was surprised to even get a response from him. "Let Kamen Rider Atlas take care of everything."

Meanwhile, Kamen Rider Atlas was running past slow-moving cars on the highway as he gave chase to the Worm, running from him. He eventually caught up and kicked it off the bridge to a junkyard, jumping down after it. As the Worm rolled on the ground, Atlas landed, pressing the three buttons on the top of Zecter. ONE said the Zecter as he pressed the first button. The Worm attacked, but Atlas pushed it behind him and pressed the second button. TWO. THREE. He pulled the main horn of the Atlas Zecter to the front and said, "Rider Kick," calmly, pushing it back to how it was before. RIDER KICK, the Zecter echoed, and the Aracneaworm Rubor made a mad dash toward the Rider from behind. All it took was a hundred-eighty degree turn to a roundhouse kick to the head, then ending by turning another hundred-eighty degrees to turn his back on the exploding Worm. CLOCK OVER said the Zecter as Atlas slowly raised his hand to the sky, pointing at it.

-

At the end of the day, Aki came back home to the Tendou household, where a calm Toushi was waiting for her. "What're you so happy about?" she grunted and sat next to her little brother, taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Did you get a job?"

Toushi simply smiled and looked up at the picture of his father, labeled Tendou Souji under his portrait, and said, "Yeah, and something delivered from the heavens." This puzzled Aki as he stood up and reached for the sky. "The world is all mine. When it is within my reach, make a grab for it. But I only have a part of the world. I still have the whole world to make mine." He turned to Aki as he headed for the basement door. "Don't you agree, onee-chan?"

Aki sighed and shook her head as Toushi entered the basement. Unbeknownst to her, OMNI-ZECT's Atlas Rider Belt was sitting in the basement on a motorcycle seat, where Toushi took the belt and slapped it onto his waist.


	2. The Return of the Worms

Chapter 2: Return of the Worms

Author's Note: I would just like to state once more that I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto, or Kamen Rider itself. However, I own rights to the made-up characters in this fanfic, and that are those in 2038 that aren't repeated from the original series and only one in 2008. That is all. This statement is only for correction errors from the last one and will not be repeated again.

In OMNI-ZECT's master room, Orihime sat before Aki, the Captain, and two other males. She looked nervous, gripping her skirt tightly. 'What is it that they want with me?' she thought as she timidly looked around the room, from her subordinates to her higher-ups. 'Is it because I screwed up yesterday?' When Aki came over, she flinched, only to feel a hand rest on her head. "Huh?"

"There's nothing to be nervous about," said Aki as she smiled gently. "The committee is simply putting you on trial because you're the only one who knows the face of Kamen Rider Atlas." Orihime's eyes widened, and she almost stood up. "Is something wrong?"

Orihime stayed silent. After awhile, one of her subordinates bearing the ZECT Spider mark on his jumpsuit blurted out, "Why are we bothering asking her? She was obviously useless in yesterday's mission! I don't see why you didn't send me in or anything!" He glared down at Orihime from the shadows that covered his face and crossed his arms and huffed as Aki glared back at the male. "Tch…"

The girl sighed and finally said, "I…didn't get a good look at his face…" She looked away from everyone, especially Aki, who had a calm, yet disappointed look on her face. "His back was turned to me the whole time. But…I owe him for saving me."

"You owe him nothing!" yelled out the man, almost stepping out of the shadows. "He has the Atlas Zecter and the Rider Belt now! A guy who isn't from OMNI-ZECT doesn't deserve to be a Rider."

"Captain, is there a way around the DNA Recognition system?" Orihime asked her higher-up, now desperate. The man didn't say anything, and she grew worried. Then he finally said,

"There is…one way." Everyone turned to the Captain as he continued, "The bearer of the Rider…must die." Aki held her mouth in shock as if she did not know of this, and Orihime felt even guiltier. "The Henshin Devices cannot change their wearers. The DNA Recognition System is so that another person may not wear the Henshin Device. And so…death is he only way for it to delete the old DNA."

Aki looked at the Captain, and then she thought up an idea. "What if…what if we convinced the wearer of the Atlas Rider Belt to join OMNI-ZECT?" Now everyone's attentions were to Aki. "Orihime-chan is the only one who knows how he looks like, albeit not seeing his face." Orihime's cheeks turned slightly red when Aki added the suffix, "-chan." "That way, he wouldn't have to die."

"Aki-sempai…" Orihime smiled, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"But…I want a crack at this Kamen Rider Atlas." The man smirked and turned to his silent partner. "After all, according to Orihime-san, he seemed to know of how the Zecter worked. So…I wanna see how smart this guy is…and beat him to the ground until he joins us! There's no way in hell he's better than me!"

-

Meanwhile, in the Bistro La Salle, business was booming as Toushi was working the kitchen, getting orders down quickly and cooking them to perfection. There were many compliments coming from the customers, such as, "The food is absolute perfection!" or "My taste buds are screaming with delight!" Ms. Kagami was pleased that she hired Toushi and patted the cook on the back. Toushi simply smiled and continued cooking.

As business began to slow down, Toushi sat on a table with his own cooked food in front of him, ready to eat. And as he was about to, Ms. Kagami slapped down an envelope on the table. "Hm?" Toushi picked up the envelope, and then looked up at his boss.

"It's your pay, silly," she laughed and went back to kitchen. When Toushi opened the envelope, he was surprised to see how much was in it. She must REALLY value his cooking skills. He sighed and placed the paycheck into his bag and proceeded to eat. He was really hungry after making all that food for so many people.

Just as Toushi was about to resume eating, the sound of the bell ringing by the door made his ears perk, but he didn't want to be disturbed. A girl walked in, carrying an OMNI-ZECT bag. She set it on the table behind Toushi and sat there, sighing. She noticed that the HELP WANTED sign was down, and she turned to the back of the restaurant. "Hey, Kagami-san," she called out, "you got a new cook? Is he or she still here?"

Ms. Kagami peeked her head out and giggled, pointing at Toushi. "Ah, Orihime-chan! You're sitting behind him."

Orihime turned to the man sitting behind her as he turned to her. Their eyes widened, and they both screamed, "IT'S YOU!!" Orihime then grabbed Toushi by his shirt collar and made him stand up. My, was he taller than her by an inch or two. "You bastard! Because of your actions yesterday, I had to be interrogated! You know how much I had to be yelled at by my partners?!"

Toushi looked at her and grabbed her wrist, pulling it away from his shirt. "What your business is and what my business is are two different things," he answered her, fixing his shirt. "But my guess is that the belt I took was meant for the guy the Worm mimicked and killed, right?" He looked at his own bag and placed his hand on it. "You have no one to blame but yourself for losing it in the first place and allowing me to wear it."

Ms. Kagami then stepped outside, worried about the argument that was going on just now. "Excuse me, but if you two are going to have a falling out, will you do it outside?"

"Right! Sorry, Kagami-san!" Orihime apologized and bowed to her, pulling Toushi by the ear with her as he grabbed his bag.

Soon, they found themselves walking next to each other down the shopping district while holding their respective bags. "If you're going to be wearing the belt from now on," she sighed, "then you might as well join us."

This annoyed Toushi greatly. "Join OMNI-ZECT because I wear their belt?" he said and started to walk ahead of Orihime. "I'll pass. I make my own path, not have others make it for me."

"And what path is that?" Orihime asked.

Toushi smiled and pointed to the sky. "The path to the heavens, even if I am only its mirror image."

"You're the mirror image of the path to the heavens," Orihime chuckled to himself, as if he was weird. "You're a weirdo, you know that? Are you some sort of narcissist?" She started to walk toward him, looking only at his back. When he defended her, she was looking at his back as well. She blushed thinking about it and bumped into him. "Oh…I'm sorry!"

"Shh," he said, hushing her up. He could see down by the park, there were Worms around, attacking civilians. "Aren't you going to call for back-up, OMNI-ZECT delivery girl?"

"Why you…I can handle it myself!" she exclaimed and started to unzip her bag. But when she looked up, Toushi was already gone. "Ohhh…where did that guy go…" Then she reached for her cell phone, calling headquarters. "Aki-sempai! Captain! There is Worm activity in Sector 34. I'm going in!"

"What about Atlas? Did you persuade him to join us?" Aki asked.

Orihime stuttered a little, not sure of what to say. "He…he eluded me," she replied in shame. "He's probably going down there to help out the civilians!"

"We'll send out the OMNI-ZECT Troopers soon! In the mean time…and I can't believe I'm saying this…aid Atlas against the Worms." Aki sat back on her chair as the Captain stood up from his. "We're heading out?" As he nodded, she stood up and took her briefcase with her. The two walked the corridor, followed by OMNI-ZECT troopers. They each entered a black van that zoomed off once all of them were inside.

Meanwhile, the remaining Aracneaworms Flavus and Nigritia started to attack the people with Salis Worms following after. A child was left in the mercy of Flavus as it reached out to the boy, but a foot kicked away the hand, followed by a kick to the head. The Worm lost its balance and fell next to the Nigritia, who stared and gargled in rage at the newcomer. "Run," he said to the boy, and the boy made its escape as Toushi slowly turned to the two Worms. "Hmph. Partners to the one from before, huh?" he said as the air was filled with the sound of a hum. Out of the sky flew down the golden Atlas Zecter, making its way into Toushi's hand. He had the belt already on. "Henshin." Then he slid the Zecter onto the belt, the Zecter echoing the word HENSHIN. This triggered Toushi's transformation into Kamen Rider Atlas Masked Form. His right hand took the top two horns and pulled it back, walking toward the two Worms. "Cast Off," he said, pushing the main horn with his left hand, initiating the Cast Off sequence. The armor flew off, revealing the golden beetle Rider, Kamen Rider Atlas. CHANGE BEETLE!

The Worms hissed and ordered the Salis Worms to attack, which they followed. Flawlessly, Kamen Rider Atlas read their moves, successfully dodged, and counterattacked when it was right with a kick or a punch. He was making his way to the two Aracneaworms, but the Salis Worms kept getting in his way. So he took out his Kunai Gun and shot at the Salis Worms around him. When they drew closer, he took out the barrel of the gun to reveal a blade that split off into three, and he started slashing at them. The Salis Worms eventually exploded due to the heavy damage they took. It was just him and the Aracneaworms Flavus and Nigritia. As Atlas started to approach them, the two initiated their Clock Up. "Clock Up," Atlas said calmly, following suit as he slapped the pad on the side of his belt. The Zecter echoed his words, and time around him slowed down.

The Worms attacked him from both sides, left and right, and Atlas skillfully blocked them. He matched their fighting speeds, so fighting them during Clock Up was easy. He kept up with their movements and pushed each of them back away from him, allowing him to focus on the Aracneaworm Nigritia. He pressed a button on his Zecter. ONE, it said as he slowly walked to the Nigritia. The Flavus Worm charged to protect its partner, but Atlas pushed it back with a back kick. TWO, said the Zecter as he turned to the fallen Flavus Worm. THREE. "Rider Kick." He pushed the main horn to the left, sending tachyon energy to his right foot with the Zecter yelling, RIDER KICK. The Nigritia Worm, thinking that Atlas had lowered his guard, charged at him, but Atlas turned around and kicked the Worm at its head, turning around completely after the explosion. The Aracneaworm Flavus hissed and disappeared. Atlas noticed that he was still in Clock Up when the Flavus disappeared. "It…Clock Upped?" he asked himself as the Zecter said, CLOCK OVER. Time resumed, and Atlas was surrounded by scattered bits of flaming Worms as the black vans pulled in.

OMNI-ZECT Troopers arrived and had their guns pointed at Kamen Rider Atlas, and Orihime finally arrived to the scene, a device around her waist. It was a Rider Belt. "Kamen Rider Atlas…" she said as the OMNI-ZECT Troopers readied their guns at the calm Kamen Rider.

-

Let us turn the clock back around thirty years. Yes, thirty, to the year 2008, a year after the world's greatest man defeated the Worms.

"Hiyori-chan," called out Takemiya Yumiko, Hiyori's boss, "take these to the table!" Hiyori, as quiet as ever, took the trays and gently placed them on the table. She kept looking at the door now and then. Yumiko sighed and leaned on the counter. "He's not coming back anytime soon, you know," she said to Hiyori, who looked down in disappointment. "But he'll be here soon, don't worry."

The bells rang, and Hiyori's face lit up, looking toward the door. It was…a different man that she wasn't thinking of coming in. Most of the people in the restaurant were surprised to see this person, gasping and muttering. The man walked up to Hiyori with a smirk on his face. Hiyori was speechless. "T-Tendou…" she said.

"Long time no see, Hiyori," he said to her and rubbed his little sister's head. She started to say something, but was too baffled to say anything. At that point, everyone screamed in delight, running to the man. This man was Tendou Souji, the one who gave himself the name, "the world's greatest man." They crowded around him, wanting to ask him questions. Hiyori wanted to grab his attention, but they wouldn't leave him be.

By the end of the day, the customers had left, leaving only Hiyori, Tendou, and Yumiko at the counter. "So, how was your trip around the world?" she asked.

"It was…fulfilling," he answered back, crossing his legs. "I learned many things during my travels and almost perfected my cooking. I believe I still have more to learn, but I am ready to pass on what I know."

Hiyori sat on the chair across Tendou, staring at him intently. She wanted to say something, but the words had a hard time coming out. Finally, she said, "W-Welcome back…" Tendou caught wind of this and chuckled a little, walking to Hiyori and rubbing her head. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"The path to heaven lead me back here to you," Tendou said as she got up and hugged him. "Have you been taking care of Jyuka for me? And what about Renge-san as well?"

The bells rang once more, and Hiyori turned, her face lighting up once more. A man was standing there in shock to see Hiyori and Tendou embracing each other. "EHHH?!" he gasped, dropping his police patrol helmet. "Tendou?! What are you doing here?! When did you get back?!"

"Kagami!" Hiyori exclaimed and ran to the door, hugging the man named Kagami. This was…a little embarrassing, as Kagami slowly looked up at Tendou, who had his arms crossed with his foot tapping the ground. Yumiko slowly hid behind the counter. She knew this was going to happen.

"Eheh…T-Tendou…um…I…how was your trip?" Kagami Arata stuttered, rubbing the back of his head as Tendou slowly walked up to him. "I…er…well, you see, this is…um…" He flinched when Tendou raised his hand, only to feel it collapse on his left shoulder. "Eh?"

"How long has this been going on?" Tendou asked calmly. There were so many questions going on in Kagami's mind. What would Tendou do to him if Kagami told him that they have been going out a few months after Tendou left? That the two were going steady? Tendou simply looked into Kagami's eyes and patted his shoulders. "If you break her heart, I won't forgive you," he said and left the Bistro La Salle. Kagami looked back, as if he had just seen death and fell to his knees.

-

As Tendou walked down to the main district, he wandered to the park, looking around at the calm scenery. It was still as peaceful as ever, even if it was just a year. He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, letting the wind blow around him. But he sensed something strange in the wind. Sure, it was April, but during Spring, the winds shouldn't be blowing this much. He looked up to find a change in the air, and something was taking shape in a crackle of tachyon energy. Falling in front of him was the Aracneaworm Flavus, landing on its feet and hissing at Tendou. "A Worm?!" he gasped as the Worm lunged at him. Skillfully, he kicked it at the stomach, sliding back a bit. Why was there a Worm now, even after he defeated all the Worms last year? "Hm…this is an interesting way to return home," he smirked and started to walk toward the Worm.

Meanwhile, Kagami was chasing after Tendou to say that he left his bag behind. Instead, he found Tendou fighting a Worm without his Rider form, and he was winning, too. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Tendou's gotten stronger…wait a minute, now is not the time to be impressed! Why is there a Worm after all this time?!" He dropped Tendou's bag, but Tendou caught sight of it and yelled, "Kagami! Give me my bag!" Kagami stopped and looked at the bag he dropped. He picked it up and threw it as hard as he could to Tendou.

Tendou caught the bag after pushing the Worm away from him and took out a familiar object, the Rider Belt. He placed it around his waist and turned to the Worm. "I don't understand how you came back, but it won't matter soon," he stated as the air started to fill with a hum. Out of the sky was the red Zecter, the Kabuto Zecter. "Henshin," he said and slid the Zecter onto the belt, the Zecter now saying, HENSHIN. He started walking toward the Worm, who was now backing away. He had assumed Masked Form. The Worm screeched and started to attack, but Tendou simply pushed it to the side and lifted his left leg to a back kick to its side, sending it staggering. Then it disappeared. "Cast Off," he muttered and pulled the horn to the right side of the Zecter as it echoed, CAST OFF. The outer armor shot off, revealing a red Rider as the horn folded to the middle of the blue visor, separating the eyes. CHANGE BEETLE! Kamen Rider Kabuto had returned, much to Kagami's delight.

"Tendou!" Kagami called out and took his own Rider Belt from his bag.

But Kabuto was already a step ahead. "Clock Up." Then he pressed the pad on the left side of his waist, initiating the Clock Up sequence with the Zecter echoing his words. Time around him began to slow down, and he fought with the Aracneaworm Flavus after catching up with it in the park. The Worm was no match for his strength, for he had gotten stronger since his travels. After many blows and a punch to the chest that sent the Worm back a little, Kabuto pressed the three buttons on the top of the Zecter in a ONE, TWO, THREE sequence and pushed the Zecter Horn back to its original place. "Rider Kick." As he said that, he pulled the Zecter Horn to the side, releasing a flow of tachyon energy into his left leg. The Worm charged at him as he turned his back to it, and then pulled off his signature roundhouse kick to its head, turning completely around with his back to the explosion. CLOCK OUT, went the Zecter, and time resumed.

Kagami ran to a de-Henshined Tendou, almost out of breath. "You did it?" he asked, but Tendou didn't say anything. Kagami laughed and placed his arm around Tendou, only for him to push it off. "Man, it's been so long since I've seen it. But…where do you think the Worm came from?"

Tendou had a slight idea, but he didn't say. He looked up to the sky and simply said, "A storm is coming."

-

Back in 2038, Atlas found himself with guns pointed at him from OMNI-ZECT Troopers with Orihime standing among them, wearing a Rider Belt. "Kamen Rider Atlas!" she yelled out to him, the Troopers ready to fire. "You are to join us…or die!"


	3. The Theory

Chapter 3: The Theory

Author's Note: You know, because it's a simple Copy + Paste operation, I might as well do it. For some reason, my chapters feel empty without them. I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto, or Kamen Rider itself. However, I own rights to the made-up characters in this fanfic, and that are those in 2038 that aren't repeated from the original series and only one in 2008. That is all.

Atlas found himself with guns pointed at him by the OMNI-ZECT Troopers. Orihime was standing among them, wearing a Rider Belt around her waist. "Kamen Rider Atlas!" she called out to him as the Troopers prepared to fire. Orihime knew Atlas' identity by face, but not by name. There was no other way to call him. "You are to join us at OMNI-ZECT or die here! This is an order from those who created the belt and Zecter you are now wearing!" There was a silence among the two groups, and Orihime was getting aggravated. "What is your answer? Will you join us?"

Kamen Rider Atlas simply looked at them, and then looked to the side. "…I refuse," he replied. "I will choose to walk my own path, not have it done by others for me." The OMNI-ZECT Troopers responded with their Machine Blade Guns firing rapid shots at Atlas. Just as they did, Atlas slapped the pad on the side of his belt, now walking toward the bullets. With his Atlas Kunai Gun in Kunai form, he deflected the slow-motion bullets as he walked towards the group. As soon as the Clock Up ended, Kamen Rider Atlas was behind Orihime, much to her surprise. "You…" she growled as she turned, but Atlas initiated the Clock Up once more, sending the OMNI-ZECT Troopers flying in the air and hitting the ground in an instant. He looked back at Orihime and ran off, the Clock Up now wearing off.

Orihime had realized that Atlas had escaped one more, but now retaliated against OMNI-ZECT. She growled and punched the ground in rage. "He's…making a fool of me! That…that…narcissist!"

-

It was evening, and Aki returned home, resting on the couch. A whole day had gone by, and she had to hear from her higher-up (not the Captain) for losing Kamen Rider Atlas once again. "Atlas…I wonder who he is…" she said to herself, almost losing herself to sleep and fatigue. But the smell, oh that heavenly smell, kept her awake, and she found Toushi in the kitchen, cooking. "Ah! Toushi-kun! What's for dinner tonight?"

"I decided to go with simplicity today…we're having breaded pork cutlets over rice." Simple, yes, but absolutely divine when made by Tendou Toushi! As Aki checked to see his cooking, she noticed an envelope on the table. She walked up to it and picked it up, taking out the contents. "Ah, right. It's nothing compared to how much you make, but it's still something, right?" Toushi smiled at his older sister as she smiled back, putting down the money. She walked behind Toushi and embraced him from behind, leaning her head on his. "Ah…onee-san." Toushi felt a little embarrassed by this.

"You're such a good boy…" Aki said, smiling. "You do everything around the house…you're not a lazy bum or anything. Even during the old days when we were just kids, you defended me." Toushi stopped working, looking at his slices of breaded pork. "You were a good kid…even though you tell me you were burdened of being your father's son…"

-

"I'm not you, I'll never be you! Get over it!" yelled a younger Toushi, probably in his later years of High School. He messed up his hair so it wouldn't look like his father's and he ran off, throwing his school bag to the ground.

"Toushi-kun!" Aki called out to him, but Toushi had left the gates, and Aki grew worried as her father stepped up behind her, putting his hand onto her shoulder. He too then ran out of the gate, and Aki was scared, scared of being alone in the house.

It was a while later that his father found Toushi sitting by the river bank, completely soaked in the rain. He was hunched over, looking out at the muddy waters, in a daze. "Get up," said his father, and Toushi slowly stood up, not looking at his father. "Look at me," he commanded, and Toushi did. It was a swift punch that sent Toushi down to the ground once more. "If you're not like me, why do you not fight it?" Then he offered his hand to help his son up. "Until the day you realize who you really are, you will always be my mirror-image. Remember that." Toushi took his father's hand, and his father held him close under his arm, now walking with him down the road, both of them completely soaked. "You're destiny…is far greater than mine."

-

"Aki…stop it…" Toushi muttered, and Aki noticed his hands balled into fists. She let go and patted him on the head. Then he let go of the knife used for cutting the breaded pork and hugged his sister. "Nee-san…you won't leave me alone, right?" he asked her as he buried his head on her shoulder.

Aki smiled a bit. For a twenty-one-year old, he was being a little childish right now. "Baka…I'm not leaving you alone for anything…"

It was now time dinner, and the two had started eating. "Delicious!" she exclaimed as she continued to eat her meal. Toushi was looking at her with a questionable look. She noticed his stare and calmed down, eating slowly now. "You know…they said the Worms came here last year, right?"

"What brought this up?" Toushi asked, raising an eyebrow as he put down his chopsticks. "You're a music artist…you're not thinking of making songs about Worms, are you? I see ratings dropping…"

"Sh-shut up!" Aki exclaimed in embarrassment, looking away. "What I'm saying is that our dad actually fought Worms back in his time!"

Toushi looked at Aki again, as if she was stupid. "Of course," he sighed. "Everyone knows he defeated the Worms back in early 2007 and saved the world with his fellow Riders."

"That's not what I meant!" Aki was getting annoyed now. She let out a sigh and sat back onto her chair. She looked at the clock, then at her food. "I mean that they somehow returned the following year." This caught Toushi's interest now. "I have a feeling…a theory, that the Worms today are slightly more evolved than the ones in the past. What if…they have the ability to travel in time?"

Toushi looked at her intently, and then the two began to laugh loudly. "Travel in time?!" he laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! To have the ability to travel in time, we'd be in trouble if that happened!" But in his mind, he was thinking about his battle with the two Aracneaworms from earlier. One of them disappeared during Clock Up, meaning that it must've escaped through different means. Maybe…a Hyper Clock Up?...No, there's no such thing…right? "Well, I'll wash the dishes," he said and took Aki's bowl. "Don't forget, we're working early in the morning, right?"

As Toushi went back to the sink, Aki looked to the side about her theory. According to past records of ZECT, the only way for Worms to go back in time is through the use of Hyper Clock Up. But…is it even possible?

-

The following morning, Toushi woke up to the sound of Aki leaving the house. He rubbed his eyes and sat on the side of the bed, looking out at the window. He thought about what Aki was saying yesterday, and how he had to remember that time. He folded his hands together, and he let out a sigh. "Tou-san…what did you mean by realizing who I am…I am your son…the spitting image of you, down to your very look." He closed his eyes and finally stood up. "But I'll make my own path…not one that you made for me."

-

As Aki arrived at the OMNI-ZECT Headquarters, she was greeted by the Captain and Orihime. The all bowed to each other, and the Captain said, "What is this theory that you called us about?"

Straight to the point, as always, thought Aki as she lead her group to the meeting room, where the Board of OMNI-ZECT were waiting. Two of Orihime's subordinates were standing at the end, near a young man in a suit. "Thank you for attending this meeting," said Aki as she took her seat, the Captain sitting to her left and Orihime to her right. "As you are aware, two of the Worms, Aracneaworms Flavus and Nigritia as we classify them, were in battle with Kamen Rider Atlas, a Rider we have lost to a civilian. One of them, however, disappeared during battle while the others are destroyed. I would like to voice my opinion with a fact someone once told me." The men leaned in on their table, listening intently to Aki. "My father, the late Tendou Souji, who you all knew as the former Kamen Rider Kabuto, once defeated the Worms on January 21, 2007. However, he once told me that a year after, Worms started reappearing through an unknown force."

"That is preposterous!" said one of the men. "The Worms only arrived from the meteor that crashed, both in the year 1999, the Shibuya Incident, and 2037, last year, the Odaiba Incident, which we kept the media from leaking out much information! What makes you think they arrived a year after the inhabitants of the first meteor were destroyed?!"

Aki stayed silent, then shifted her glasses. The only set of words that escaped her lips were, "Time travel." This raised eyebrows and voices of disbelief. "Orihime-chan, the statistics." Orihime nodded and gave Aki the set of papers on an item called the Hyper Zecter, of which copies were handed out to the other attendees of this meeting. "The only one to ever use this effectively was Kamen Rider Kabuto. This gave Kabuto, or Hyper Kabuto as we will call him, the ability known as Hyper Clock Up. He has been able to reverse the flow of time for a certain amount of time, most was a few minutes to save Kamen Rider Gatack from dying. What if…" She paused once more and clamped her hands together, leaning towards them. "What if…these set of Worms of the Odaiba Incident have evolved over the course of time, evolving their ability to Clock Up?" Now people were beginning to agree, but one of the two men, the one bearing the Spider mark on his suit, scoffed and looked away with his arms crossed. "I request a capture of a Worm and study it. If we could figure out what causes the Hyper Clock Up, then we could find a way to prevent them from going over to that time." The Board agreed, and everyone was dismissed.

It was just Aki, Orihime, and the Captain now. "The Commander looked disappointed," Orihime sighed, obviously referring to one of the men at the meeting. "Maybe they don't believe your theory, but I do! Aki-sempai is smart having come up with such an idea!"

"I said it was only a theory," Aki sighed, cleaning her glasses. "We don't know for sure if this is true, but…we have a device that we can use to catch a Worm. Come."

Aki lead Orihime outside the conference room, leaving the Captain to think to himself. "Gatack…was supposed to die?" He then realized he was left behind and chased after the two.

They were lead to the technician's area of the OMNI-ZECT Headquarters, where Aki pulled off the covering of a new piece of equipment. It was a motorcycle designed to look similar to a gold Atlas beetle. "This is the Atlas Extender," she said to the Captain and Orihime. "It runs faster than our standard Machine Zectrons and comes with a Clock Up system and Worm Searcher. Of course, it was designed for Kamen Rider Atlas and the one who was to use it until it was stolen…but I'm sure Orihime-chan is strong enough to test out its speed."

Orihime's eyes widened as she placed her hand onto her chest. "M-Me?!" she exclaimed. To test out the latest technology of OMNI-ZECT other than the Zecters was a great achievement for her! "I-I won't let you down!" She then saluted Aki, who saluted to her back.

-

A few hours later, Orihime was speeding around the tracks with the Atlas Extender. It was incredibly fast, and the fact that she was holding on was just as incredible. Afterwards, she stopped in front of Aki. "How did I do, sempai?" she asked with a smile on her face. "Tell me I can kick ass with this!"

"As much as I'd like to say you could," Aki started, clearing her throat, "you aren't permitted to use it. It's for Atlas' personal use only. But unfortunately…we have to get the Rider Belt and Atlas Zecter back from that guy…whoever he is…" Orihime thought of Toushi immediately and rubbed the back of her head. She never did get his name, but he looked very familiar. Just then, Aki's cell phone began to ring. The Atlas Extender was going off, as well. "Captain!"

"There's a Worm in the construction area of the Shibuya district," the Captain said, looking at the monitors in the van. "Send Orihime on the Atlas Extender, and we'll follow directly behind her."

"Yes sir!" Aki hung up and looked at Orihime intently. "Well, you wanted to use it. Head to the Shibuya district's construction zone and try to capture the Worm before we lose it. If Atlas interferes, do not hesitate to take back the belt."

"Yes m'am!" Orhime saluted and put on her helmet, riding off with the Atlas Extender while Aki entered a black van that parked nearby, following after the Atlas Extender with multiple vans following after. The ride to Shibuya was going well until Orihime stopped the Atlas Extender with the vans following suit. "Atlas!" she gasped, looking at the golden figure standing at the entrance of the Shibuya construction zone. The OMNI-ZECT Troopers rushed out of their vans and pointed the Machine Blade Guns at him. Atlas simply looked at Orihime and started walking toward them. "What do you want? That Worm is ours!"

"You have something that belongs to me," Atlas said, looking at the Atlas Extender. "A girl like you will only get hurt using it."

"Sh-shut up, you narcissist!" she snapped and put on her Rider Belt. But before she knew it, he was already on the bike. "C-Clock Up!" she gasped as he rode off with the bike. "Fire! FIRE!!" The OMNI-ZECT Troopers began to fire at the bike, but it was too fast for them as it rode off into Shibuya. "Darn it, darn it, DARN IT! Not again!"

Inside the Shibuya construction zone, where a parking lot was being built, the Bellcricetusworm, or the Bell Cricket, let go another victim, as it chirped triumphantly for its kill. But the sound of the motorcycle alerted it and it flew to the ceiling, concealing itself in the darkness. As Atlas stepped into the compound, the Bellcricetusworm looked down at him, ready to strike. "Found you," he said and fired at the ceiling. The Bellcricetusworm chirped and started to fly away. Atlas noticed its escape and got onto his Atlas Extender, now riding out of Shibuya after the Worm.

It flew through Shinjuku with the Atlas Extender in hot pursuit. Atlas noticed the Worm just used its Clock Up, so he slapped the side of his belt, allowing him and the bike to go through Clock Up as well. Time was slow for them as he rode and weaved through the frozen traffic, chasing after the flying worm. Taking out his Atlas Kunai Gun, he shot at the Worm until a bullet hit its wing, and it was sent flying into the Shinjuku Gyoen.

It struggled to get up as Atlas stopped his bike and started to walk towards it, switching the Atlas Kunai Gun to Axe Mode. It chirped and started to crawl away until Atlas took it by the wing and pulled it to him, slashing at it. The Worm screeched and retaliated, now fighting back, but Kamen Rider Atlas dodged by simple side steps, countering with his weapon. As the Bellcricetusworm fell back, Atlas pressed the three buttons on his Atlas Zecter in a ONE – TWO – THREE sequence, tachyon energy now flowing through his right leg, and he jumped at the worm in a flying side kick. The Worm screeched and disappeared, Atlas' leg crashing to the ground and making a crater. "Tch…lost it again…" As he walked back to the Atlas Extender, he noticed that there was a Worm Searcher on the screen. "This could come in handy," he said to himself and rode off and away from Shinjuku.

-

Back in 2008, Kagami and Hiyori were arm-and-arm, walking through Shinjuku Gyoen. The cherry blossoms were lovely this time of year, and it's been awhile since they had a pleasant date. 'I can't believe Tendou actually approved!' he thought to himself, holding Hiyori close to him. She rested her head onto his shoulder as they sat down to view the people on boats in the lake. "Hiyori…this isn't a mistake, right?...Since Tendou is-"

"Stop," Hiyori said and put a finger to Kagami's mouth. "You're going to ruin the mood." She sighed and proceeded to rest her head onto his shoulder.

Kagami looked down at her and smiled, kicking back. "As long as I'm with you, Hiyori…nothing can go wrong…" Oh how he was going to eat those words. People started to scream as crackles of tachyon energy snapped at the ground, and a Worm appeared through a distortion. "What?! A Worm!? Here?!" Kagami stood up with Hiyori behind him, but he was shocked to see which Worm it was. The Bellcricetusworm, the one that impersonated his brother. "You…" he growled and put on his Rider Belt. "I may not have been able to defeat you back then…but I have the power to now!" As he raised his hand, Hiyori took it and held it down, a concerned look on her face as she raised her eyes to his. He smiled back and said, "Don't worry. I will always protect you." Kagami turned his head to the Worm and glared at it. "I promise." With his right hand, he called forth a blue Zecter that looked like a stag beetle, grabbing it into his hand. "Henshin!" he yelled and transformed into a blue and silver warrior in bulky armor with two guns on his shoulders. With those two guns, he fired at the Worm, who was in pain from its previous battle. It tried to fly, but its left wing was damaged. So it ran at Kagami with its arms ready to rip him apart. Kagami pulled on the top mandible slightly, setting it as the armor began to push itself out. "Cast Off!" he yelled out and pulled the mandible all the way to the other side. The armor flew off, sending the Bellcricetusworm back, revealing a blue warrior that was reminiscent to a stag beetle. CHANGE STAG BEETLE! said the Zecter as the two mandibles joined on the helmet. Kagami Arata was now Kamen Rider Gatack.

With Hiyori moving a safe distance, Gatack took out his mandible-shaped Double Calibers, ready to fight the Worm. The two began to step to the side, and then charged at each other. But Gatack struck first, slashing it constantly with his Double Calibers as it fell back. "This time, I WILL defeat you!" he exclaimed and joined his two Calibers together to form a giant scissor. "Rider Cutting!" He then charged at the Worm and held it up as it was caught in the giant scissor. It chirped loudly as Gatack pressed on the hilt of the scissors until it exploded, the Worm disappearing. Slowly, Gatack dropped his weapons, looking at his hands. How long had it been since he last transformed? It felt…so good to be Gatack again! As he de-henshined, he noticed a man watching him from under the cherry blossom trees. "Tendou…" he muttered, watching him leave. He then realized what had happened as soon as Hiyori ran up to Kagami.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Hiyori asked, concerned for Kagami's well being. She saw his annoyed look and wondered about it.

"That guy…he was following us…"

-

Back in the Tendou household, Toushi sat back on the couch in content, looking up at the ceiling fan. He watched the door burst open, and Aki stormed in, really upset. "What happened, onee-chan?" he asked her as he raised an eyebrow. "Bad day at the studio? Band won't work with you?"

"That's the second time!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air as she walked into the kitchen area. "The second time he's taken something from us! I don't know who he is, but I'll find out and make him pay!" She then stomped up the stairs to her room.

Toushi rubbed the back of his head and sighed, looking at the Rider Belt he hid under the pillows. A smile appeared onto his face as he looked up at the portrait of his father. "Well…I still haven't found a difference that I have from you…but…I'll show you, father in heaven, that I can make my own destiny…that I'll make my own path. And then I'll walk the path to the heavens as my own person." He reached up and opened his hand. "Watch me."

-

In the darkness of night, in the rubble of the parking lot in the Shinjuku construction area, a man was meeting with another in his twenties. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with the Spider mark on his chest. "OMNI-ZECT has lost two items to this rogue Kamen Rider," said the older man, looking at the younger. "I want you to find out who Kamen Rider Atlas is and take back the Rider Belt. Destroy him if need be."

In the light that showed the bottom half of his face, the younger man smirked as he turned to a pillar. The moonlight shown on a mechanical spider climbing down a string of web, clicking its mandibles together as its eight eyes looked back at the young man.

"No problem. I'll show them why I'm the best there is."


	4. The Spider's Web : Return From Hell 1

Chapter 4: The Spider's Web – Return From Hell (Part 1)

Author's Note: I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto, or Kamen Rider itself. However, I own rights to the made-up characters in this fanfic, and that are those in 2038 that aren't repeated from the original series and only one in 2008. That is all.

Aki's eyes widened as she stood still, her cell phone on her ear. "Orihime-chan is…" she muttered in disbelief.

"Right," the Captain said at the other line. "Because of the loss of both the Rider Belt and the Atlas Extender, both of which were her responsibility, Orihime was suspended from any action until further notice."

Toushi watched his sister from the corner of the living room slump onto the wall. "Then…who is…"

"Her replacement in the meantime will be arriving shortly. Get here now."

The Captain hung up, leaving Aki with the dial tone. After a couple of beeps, she turned to see Toushi staring at her. "I-I'm leaving for the studio," she nervously said and put on her shoes, leaving the house.

Toushi crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "Nee-san's acting weirder than usual," he said to himself. "Usually, she doesn't leave without me cooking breakfast…must be an emergency at the studio." He looked at the clock; it was only 7:32. He had an hour before he should leave for work at the Bistro La Salle. Somehow, he felt like something was going to happen today. Something…dangerous. Then again, he is a Kamen Rider now, but the feeling was different. It felt like that today, he'd meet someone out of his league.

-

Aki arrived at the OMNI-ZECT Headquarters in the Marunouchi district, being greeted by the Captain. "I can't believe Orihime is no longer with us," she sighed, feeling that the atmosphere is empty and boring without the girl. "Who's going to make my tea?!"

"Tea shouldn't be concerned when you have business, Tendou Aki," said a voice at the entrance to OMNI-ZECT Headquarters. A blonde-haired male with a nasty glare looked at the two. He was wearing a ZECT Spider mark on his clothing. He walked up to Aki and the Captain, eyeing them left and right. "You're the one with the evolved Worm theory, right?" he asked Aki and smirked. "I honestly believe that's a load of bull. Worms aren't capable of that because I've never let a Worm escape." Aki grew annoyed of this man's attitude and was about to say something, only to be stopped by the Captain.

"Aki-san, this is Kodomo Kizoku, one of OMNI-ZECT's elite soldiers," introduced the Captain as he walked to Kizoku's side. "He's one of our four main Riders, including Orihime. Until Orihime's suspension is lifted, he will be working with us from now on. I hope you two will get along." Kizoku then extended his hand with a fake smiled, and Aki begrudgingly accepted it.

"Perfect! We'll be best friends!" Kizoku joked and slipped on his sweater, putting on his hood. "Now you two get crackin' on how to help me, even though I don't exactly need it. I'm gonna eat breakfast!" Then he left, leaving behind the Captain and Aki.

Aki growled and lifted her middle finger at the boy, placing her other hand onto her arm. "That jerk!" she roared as she and the Captain walked inside. "Who does he think we are, his personal maids? Orihime-chan never gave me this much trouble on her first day, and we all got along fine! Seriously, what the hell?!"

"I understand your sentiments, Aki-san," sighed the Captain as the two entered an elevator. "But bear with it for now. One way or another, Orihime-san will return to us."

-

In 2008, Tendou was standing in front of the tofu shop with Kagami next to him. The two were very silent, Tendou mostly making conversation with the jolly shop owner. "T-Tendou?" Kagami started, but Tendou didn't say anything, walking off with a bowl of tofu in his hand. Kagami saw he was getting left behind, and he started to run after him. "H-Hey, I know you're upset about the whole…me and Hiyori think, but-"

"I was never upset," Tendou replied, now finally talking to him. "However, I did say that I will make you pay if you ever break her heart." Hiyori was a sister to him as Jyuka was. He cared for them both, even though he didn't show it very well. "Hiyori…it was the first time I've ever seen her smile like that. It puts me at ease to know someone was taking care of her while I have been gone."

"I've…taken good care of her," Kagami nervously said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I mean, it's Hiyori. By the time I realized I had feelings for her, I…I swore that I would do anything to protect her."

"And you did," Tendou congratulated, turning the corner now. "I saw your fight with the Worm yesterday at Shinjuku Gyoen. But how long can you keep up your determination?" He stopped and looked at Kagami, a serious look in his eyes. "There will always be many obstacles ahead. Do you think you have what it takes to walk the path of heaven that I already stand at the top of?"

Kagami was silent, looking to the side. What if he can't protect Hiyori? What would he do? No…that's not the way to think. Hiyori was his everything, and not even Tendou Souji, the world's greatest man, can take that away from him. "Tendou…I said back then I will defeat all the Worms. Even if they return now, I WON'T back down on my word! I will protect Hiyori, no matter what!"

Tendou smiled a little at the man's determination and continued to walk, but he stopped in his tracks. The sound of metal clanking, like coins; the footsteps of a man who once walked hell. He knew who it was, and he didn't hesitate to turn around and face him. "Ah? Tendou?" Kagami blinked and slowly turned around, his eyes widened to see who it was. "Y-Yaguruma Sou!" he gasped. Yaguruma Sou, ZECT's former Rider, and now a man who had lost everything.

Yaguruma looked up at Tendou with empty eyes, now walking towards the two. He stopped infront of Kagami, but his eyes were fixed on Tendou. "Tendou…Souji," he muttered. "You've finally returned…and I see you bathed in the light. The light I could never reach." What was Yaguruma talking about, Kagami wondered. "Come. Let's settle things, as a man who reached the blackest hell, I will shatter your whitest light."

Tendou simply looked at Yaguruma and turned his back to him. "Obaa-chan once said, 'The light is untouchable, but not obtainable.' As long as you continue to seek the light and try to make it yours, it will always become farther and farther from your reach. But if you become the light, then it will be yours."

"Become the light? What light will touch the darkest of hell?" Yaguruma was getting annoyed by Tendou now. Seeing that he had returned hasn't changed him one bit. "Are you coming up with excuses because you don't want to be tainted by the darkness?"

"I don't want to be tainted by your false impressions," Tendou replied back, now walking. "If you've claimed that you've seen hell, then the light is closer than you think."

"Tendou!!" This was the first time Yaguruma had yelled out like that since he had become a lost soul, now trying to chase after the man. But Kagami stood in Yaguruma's way, holding him back. "Am I just a loser to you?! A man with nothing who lost everything?! Tendou!!"

"Yaguruma-san, stop!" Kagami exclaimed and tried to keep Yaguruma from breaking free. Tendou was soon out of sight, and Yaguruma slowly dropped his arms. After a long silence between the two, Yaguruma kicked Kagami's ribs, sending him flying to a metal fence. "Agh!"

"You…you took my place as Shadow's leader…and you tossed it away as if it was meaningless to you." He looked down at Kagami and walked closer to him. "What did it lack that made you follow that man? Are you chasing the light as well?"

Kagami coughed out some blood, looking up at Yaguruma. "Wh-what kind of question is that?" he laughed slightly as he held his sides. "I already have my light, my peace of mind, my…everything. But you have nothing, which is why you are like this…Yaguruma-san…where's Kageyama-san?"

-

It was still early morning, so not many customers were showing up. Orihime was cleaning the tables, wiping them down to have them set for the customers, and let out a sigh of depression. "Ha~h…" she groaned. "This sucks…it's not my fault I lost them, though…well, maybe it is…" She started to wipe the table harder. "It's because of that DAMN narcissist…" Speaking of which, the bell rang, and Orihime sprung up with a happy smile. "Irasshaimase!" she chirped, but to her disdain, she ended up welcoming the "damn narcissist." "Oh…it's you…"

"I didn't think OMNI-ZECT's poster girl worked here," Toushi smirked as he set down his bag. "If I said it was a small world, then I am the universe who oversees all worlds."

"What?"

Toushi chuckled and walked to Orihime, lifting his hand. "Tou-san once told me, 'Make the world revolve around you. It's more fun to think that way.'" Then he proceeded to the kitchen. "How about some breakfast to calm your nerves? You look like you just got fired."

"That's because of YOU!!" she exclaimed, now slamming her hands on the table. "I got suspended from OMNI-ZECT because you took everything from me! The Rider Belt, the Atlas Zecter, the Atlas Extender, everything is your entire fault!" She then threw the rag at Toushi, but the man caught it as he would catch his Zecter. "They even took away my Rider Belt! I'll never forgive you!"

"You'll wake up Kagami-san if you continue to yell," Toushi sighed, rubbing his ears. As he began to cook, he heard the bell ring once more. "Girl, customer."

"I know, I know," Orihime snapped and turned to the customer with a smile. "Irasshaima-" she didn't finish her greeting; she was too shocked too. A blonde-haired male with a thin hoodie walked in, closing the door slowly. "K-Kizo-"

The man put his finger onto Orihime's lips and smiled. "Shh," he smirked and slowly walked to a table and seated himself. "Omelet rice, please! Mix it with onions and soy sauce on the side!" The sound of sizzling could be heard in the counter; it sounds like Toushi was already on the job. He looked to a speechless Orihime and smirked.

"What are you doing here, Kizoku-kun?" she asked, glaring at him. "Did OMNI-ZECT send you here? Or did you come to gloat and berate me? Maybe make fun of me for my suspension?"

"A little of the last few options," the one called Kizoku smirked, looking at his nails. "It was mostly for breakfast. After all, the rebuilt residential Shibuya is quite a distance from Marunouchi, and I have to be driven here quite a ways." Toushi then arrived to serve Kizoku his meal. The two looked at each other, Kizoku with a smug look and Toushi with a neutral one. "My oh my, it's the great Tendou Souji!" Orihime looked at Toushi and realized that he DOES bear a resemblance to Tendou Souji. Actually, almost like him! Toushi seemed annoyed by this remark. As he was about to speak, Kizoku stopped him. "I'm sorry. I mean…Tendou Toushi." How did this man know Toushi's name? "Hm…you don't look a thing like her…the pop idol, Aki."

"…Oh, right," Toushi replied, looking away. "People do say we don't look alike, despite being siblings."

"I wonder how she'll react when she finds out her brother is a thief, stealing from OMNI-ZECT!" Kizoku started to laugh and eyed Toushi's bag. "Right, Kamen Rider Atlas?"

Toushi was taken aback by this, but then he smirked a little. "Right…well, will you be eating your breakfast, Kamen Rider for OMNI-ZECT?" Now Kizoku was slightly shocked, Toushi actually knowing this much. Just then, Kizoku's cell phone started to ring, and he answered it. Toushi eyed him carefully and crossed his arms.

"Sorry, Orihime-chan, but I have business to do down in Aoyama Cemetery. Be a dear and eat that for me?" Kizoku gave Orihime a smirk and brushed her chin gently, leaving the Bistro La Salle.

Orihime grunted and turned to Toushi, who was giving her a look. "…Wh-what? It's not like I enjoy working with him…" She fell silent, and then she sighed. "His name is Kodomo Kizoku, OMNI-ZECT's special Rider who specializes in trapping tactics. He's a master strategist, but he's also very dangerous."

With a sigh, Toushi took off his apron and placed it on the table. "Tell Kagami-san that it's an emergency, and I will return later." Orihime couldn't say anything. Now that Toushi knew a Worm was in Aoyama, he had to do something. The door closed, and Orihime sat down, feeling useless. Without anything to do, she started to eat Kizoku's extra-onion omelet rice, and her face lit up. It…was really good!

-

The people screamed as the Lanpyrisworm (Firefly Worm) dropped a dead carcass onto a headstone and tried to run, but the Salis Worms prevented them from running. But they were shot down by the coming and swarming OMNI-ZECT soldiers. Among them was Kizoku, calm and poised with a smug look on his face. The people took this opportunity to run. "Welcome…to my web!" The Worms were surrounded by OMNI-ZECT Troopers and were fired upon, but the Lanpyrisworm flew off. "Oh no, you don't! Come! Gumo Zecter!" Sliding down a tree by a web, a mechanical spider hopped off onto a headstone and jumped toward Kizoku's hand. His left hand revealed a black and silver Rider Brace. "Henshin!" He then slapped the Gumo Zecter onto the brace, and he took on a new form. He became the Masked Form of his Rider name. It was sleeker than Atlas' Masked Form, and only the right arm was covered in armor. Kizoku jumped away from his group and onto headstones, following the Lanpyrisworm to a clearing in the nearby park. "Hmph. I'll show you why I'm the best." From his side, he drew what looked like a shotgun and fired it one-handed. The Lanpyrisworm jumped back, feeling the impact as it chirped. "No, no! You're supposed to fight back!" Kizoku shot again, and the Worm continued to get pushed back. It finally snapped and fought back, attacking Kizoku and throwing him to a tree. "Ugh!...You're a trouble-maker, aren't you? Alright, then." With a chuckle, he took his Gumo zecter and pulled back the abdomen. The armor began to peel off. "Cast Off," he said, and the Zecter repeated his words. The legs then clamped onto the Brace as the mandibles extended automatically, and the armor flew off. Eight spider legs finished the job by closing onto the red visor, and Kamen Rider Gumo was complete. CHANGE SPIDER.

The Lanpyrisworm chirped and disappeared. "Clock Up, huh?" Gumo sighed and traced his fingers on the ZECT Buckle. "Clock Up." He too disappeared, and time stood still, or slowed down. Gumo proceeded to assault the Lanpyrisworm with a flurry of punches and a powerful front kick to its abdomen. He pushed it back and cocked his shotgun, firing at the Worm constantly. Soon, it fell, and the Zecter yelled, CLOCK OVER! "I'll end it now. I am the best!" But he heard footsteps nearby, and a lone man entered the battlefield. "It's you! The Tendou Souji look-a-like!"

"I take offense to your words," Toushi scoffed and pointed to the sky. "Know mine. Walking the path of heaven, even if he is man's mirror image." The sound of humming filled the air, and the golden Atlas Zecter descended the skies and into Toushi's hand. "Tendou…Toushi!" Then he slid the Zecter onto his Rider Belt, the Zecter now saying HENSHIN. He began to take on his Masked Form, but he wasn't done yet. Placing his right hand onto the Zecter's secondary horns, he pulled them, muttering the words, "Cast Off," and pushed the main horn with his left. The armor flew off, revealing the golden Rider, Kamen Rider Atlas. CHANGE BEETLE!

The Lanpyrisworm was up against two Riders, and it proceeded to escape by flying away. "No you don't! Gumo exclaimed and unsheathed a blade from the shotgun, running up a tree and jumping into the air. He cut off the wings and sent it plummeting to the ground.

Atlas stood under it, pressing his buttons in a ONE – TWO – THREE order, then pulled the main horn to its default position. "Rider Kick." He pushed it back, and tachyon energy flowed through his right foot, and as the Worm reached the ground, he unleashed his signature roundhouse kick, turning his back to the explosion. Gumo landed behind him, and the two looked at each other through their visors.

"So he arrives," Gumo chuckled, sheathing his blade. "Coming here only saved me the trouble of completing my second mission."

"Kill the user of Atlas," finished Atlas in an uncaring tone. "If you have the heart to kill a human as you would destroy a Worm, then by all means try."

-

On the harbor in Odaiba, Kagami was looking out to the sea while Yaguruma had his back to it, looking down. "I see…" Kagami said as he lowered his head. "Because…because of the necklaces I helped distributed, Kageyama-san…"

"It was bound to happen," Yaguruma replied. "He stood by me the whole time, but he kept chasing the light while I lingered in hell. His fascination to the light…was his downfall."

"How can you say that about your partner?!" Yaguruma didn't turn an eye to Kagami after those words. "You…had your light the whole time, but you failed to realize it! Even if you two wandered hell, you wandered hell together!"

"Hold your tongue." Yaguruma shot Kagami a glare and pushed himself off the bars. "Kageyama chose his fate. I…only delivered the finishing blow."

"Obaa-chan once said," said a voice as a familiar face approached the two of them, "A bond is a deep connection that cannot be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are connected." Tendou stopped infront of the two and placed his hands in his pockets. His Rider belt was on. "Kageyama lives inside you. He is your light now."

"Don't f*ck with me!" the former Shadow leader yelled and summoned his Hopper Zecter. "Kageyama…may not have experienced the hell as I have properly, but do not laugh at my aibou!" He calmed down and slumped forward. Then slowly, he looked up at Tendou with dead eyes. "Henshin." He slid his Hopper Zecter onto his Rider Belt and transformed into a green grasshopper Rider. CHANGE KICK HOPPER.

"If this is your solution…" Tendou summoned his Kabuto Zecter and looked up at Kick Hopper. "Then I will respond in the same fashion. However, know this. You can't beat me as you are now…Henshin." He slid his Kabuto Zecter on his belt and immediately pulled the Zecter horn back. As he transformed, his armor flew off, revealing the red kabutomushi Rider known as Kabuto. Kagami was speechless and could do nothing as the two Riders ran at each other.

-

Atlas rolled on the ground, dodging bullets from Gumo's shotgun. He retaliated with his Atlas Kunai Gun by firing back, but Gumo unsheathed his blade and deflected the bullets. The two ran at each other and slashed at each other with their blades, but Gumo was faster and followed up with a second slash. As the two fought, OMNI-ZECT Troopers ran up to the battlefield and aimed at Atlas. "No!" Gumo roared, holding out his arm. "This one's mine." The two were blade on blade, parrying, slashing, and pushing each other back. Gumo chuckled as he walked calmly to Atlas and slashed at his chest, sending him back. "Is that all you got?!"

Atlas was breathing heavily and slowly got up. "Can you do it?"

This enraged Gumo as he sheathed his blade and held up his shot gun, pushing the Gumo Zecter's abdomen back to default position. "Rider Shooting!" he yelled and pulled the abdomen back again. Tachyon energy flowed through the shotgun, and Gumo aimed at Atlas. But before he fired, he activated his Clock Up. Atlas was surprised and was about to initiate his, but Gumo had already deactivated his own, standing behind Atlas at pointblank range. "I win." He fired, and Atlas flew forward as tachyon-powered shotgun bullets drove on his Rider armor. He slid on the ground and laid there as Gumo walked up to him, kicking his side to turn him over. He aimed at the belt and shot at it multiple times. The Zecter was unharmed, somehow, but the belt…was ruined. Atlas wasn't moving or showing any signs of breathing. Gumo chuckled a bit, and then he laughed loudly. "That's it! I am the best!!"

­­-

Back in the Bistro La Salle, Orihime heard a cup crack and break apart. It was Toushi's personal mug that he brings from home. She knew this because it had a picture of him and Aki printed on it. "Oh no…" she gasped, placing her hand over her mouth.


	5. The Spider's Web : Return From Hell 2

Chapter 5: The Spider's Web – Return From Hell (Part 2)

Author's Note: I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto, or Kamen Rider itself. However, I own rights to the made-up characters in this fanfic, and that are those in 2038 that aren't repeated from the original series and only one in 2008. That is all.

Kabuto's fist was deflected by a kick from Kick Hopper as the green Rider proceeded to push his opponent back with a flurry of non-stop kicks. Kabuto deflected them, eventually countering with a back kick of his own, but Kick Hopper skillfully matched it with a side kick, holding Kabuto's foot up as they pressed against each other. The two said nothing as they jumped back. They looked up at each other and ran at each other once more, Kabuto thrusting forward with a punch and Kick Hopper with a skipping fast kick; Kabuto felt the blow and fell back, holding his chest.

"Why…" Kagami said to himself as he fell to his knees, watching the battle before him unfold. "Why are you fighting, Yaguruma-san…" At first, he had almost reached to Yaguruma, but is fighting the only way to end his suffering? He clenched his fists; he had become a Rider to defeat the Worms. Wasn't that the reason there were Riders in the first place? It wasn't a source of power, it was the power to protect. He stood up and glared at them with a determined face, raising his hand. The humming of the Gatack Zecter filled the air as it flew down into his hand, but neither Kabuto nor Kick Hopper heard the humming. "HENSHIN!!" Kagami yelled and slid the Gatack Zecter on his belt, transforming into his Masked Form, and then immediately pulled the mandibles to the other side, Casting Off his masked form. CHANGE STAG BEETLE! went the Zecter as Gatack looked up at the two fighting Riders.

Kabuto slid back and caught himself on the concrete of the docks, now looking up at Kick Hopper, who slowly stood up straight. He placed his right thumb over the Kabuto Zecter and pressed the top buttons in a ONE – TWO – THREE sequence and pushed the Zecter Horn to its default side. "Rider Kick," Kabuto said and pulled the horn once more, sending tachyon energy flowing through his body and into his right foot. RIDER KICK!

Kick Hopper, meanwhile, pulled the leg of his Hopper Zecter and muttered, "Rider Jump," as he jumped high into the air with the left leg and pushed down the legs of the Hopper Zecter. "Rider Kick!" he roared and flew down toward Kabuto with his left leg extended, tachyon energy flowing through it.

Gatack charged towards the two as they prepared their finishers, running madly toward the center. Why? Why was he running? What would this accomplish? Just as he ran into and stopped at the middle, Kabuto launched his Rider Kick as Kick Hopper's own flew down towards Gatack. "STOP!!"

-

Orihime ran to the battlefield near Aoyama Cemetary. She gasped at the site she saw as Kizoku walked toward her slowly. He had a wide grin on his face, the grin of satisfaction and victory. He had defeated Atlas, even killed him. "Do me a favor, deary," he said smugly, "and pick up the trash for me." He signaled his group of troops to move out, and they did. Orihime fell to her knees, shocked by what she is looking at. Toushi was lying there, lifeless, unmoving, dead.

"Narcissist-kun…" she muttered, crawling to him. She placed her hand on his chest and began to lean on it. "If you die…it's my fault…how will I ever tell her...that her brother's dead…"

As she sobbed silently, the belt began to react. The cracks disappeared as it reattached with the other broken pieces. A surge of tachyon energy flowed through Toushi's body. Slowly, his eyes opened, and his head rose to find Orihime on his chest. "…Get off of me," he coldly said to her, startling the girl.

"N-Narcissist-kun!"

"I have a name," he muttered and rubbed the back of his head, now sitting up. The belt was completely repaired, and the Atlas Zecter was unharmed. He let out a sigh and stood up, brushing the grass and dirt off of him. "That damned narcissist…" he grumbled as he looked out at the fallen tomb stones. Orihime gave him the "you-should-talk" look. As Toushi slowly walked to the tomb stones, one of the names caught his eyes. They grew sad as he put it upright and stepping back from the stone.

"What's up?" Orihime asked as she looked at the tombstone. It read "Tendou Souji" it katakana. "This…must be your…"

"I have nothing to do with him," Toushi all of a sudden said as he turned to the gates of the cemetery and began to leave. Orihime panicked and followed suit. "W-Wait! Narcissist-kun!"

"I have a NAME!"

-

Kick Hopper jumped back and Kabuto lowered his foot. Gatack had both his arms up. He had deflected both of their attacks. "Stop this…this is stupid!" he yelled at them. There was a silence among them, and Kick Hopper began to leave. "Yaguruma-san!" Gatack called out to him as Kick Hopper continued walking. "How long are you going to keep walking in hell? When will you see that there is no hell or heaven where you stand, but it's that very piece of earth you stand on today! You're alive, Yaguruma-san!"

Kick Hopper said nothing. His Zecter hopped off his belt, and the sound of his boots echoed in the harbor.

The Gatack and Kabuto Zecters flew off as well, and a look of disappointment fell upon Kagami's face. Tendou walked to his fellow Rider and placed his hand onto his shoulder. "We can't make man do what we want them to, but we can guide them to the right path. Me, I already walk the path of heaven. So lead him to the path of the living."

"The path of the living…" Kagami muttered and looked on as Yaguruma disappeared from sight.

-

Toushi returned to the Bistro La Salle, as fit as a fiddle, with Orihime lingering behind him. "You should've been more careful," she said to Toushi as she walked past him. "Kizoku-kun…he's a strong Rider. Among the three of us, he's one of the most dangerous."

"And what about you?" Toushi asked, and Orihime looked up at him. "Presuming this third one is like that OMNI-ZECT Rider, are you a mindless killer like he is?" Orihime looked a way, holding her apron. "Or…will you kill me to take the Rider Belt and Atlas Zecter back?" Orihime's eyes widened, and she moved her hand to slap him, but her wrist was caught by Toushi, who he threw back down. "Hmph…you responded negatively." He walked past her and toward the kitchen. "Meaning…if you had the chance to, you would."

As he pushed back the curtain, a woman hugged him tightly, making it hard to breathe for Toushi. "Toushi-kun, where have you been?!" she exclaimed, shaking him. "You had Kagami-san worried, not being in for hours after just taking off like that! What's with you?! Did you get into a fight?! Are you hurt?!"

"K-Kagami-san…" Orihime looked at Ms. Kagami nervously, but she was glad to see that she was worried about Toushi.

"When I saw your favorite mug break, I was so worried for you! Those type of things are omens, you know!"

Toushi went to the back to find a big section of his mug on the ground, shattered into smaller pieces. It had the picture of Toushi on the smaller fragments. He lifted a piece up and chuckled a little. "Tou-san once said, 'Omens are for the weak-hearted. If you believe in me, then omens are nothing to be feared, for I can't be touched by bad luck. Rather, I am loved by luck herself.'" He looked at Orihime and Ms. Kagami with a smirk. "Have faith in me a little."

At this, Orihime pouted. "Oh shut your narcissistic hole," she sighed and took a broom, sweeping up the broken fragments. She was looking at the part of the picture with Aki on it. "Hey…if you die…"

"I won't die," Toushi interrupted, washing the dishes. "I am kami-sama's greatest creation. I walk the path to heaven, even if I am his mirror image."

"When you say Kami-sama," Orihime asked, "do you mean God himself, or your father considered God?"

At this, Toushi said nothing and continued to wash dishes.

-

Yaguruma wandered Tokyo a bit, unaware that he was being followed. Well, it wasn't that hard to know he was being followed. Every time he stopped, Kagami would quickly hide, making a little bit of nose. When Yaguruma continued, Kagami continued to follow, dragging his shoes along the ground. This was becoming irritating, at the front of a restaurant, he stopped and turned to Kagami, who was hiding behind the sign of the shop. "Hey, I can see you," he muttered, waiting for an answer. Kagami didn't move, so Yaguruma walked to the sign and kicked it away. Kagami was startled, looking up at Yaguruma. "Why're you following me? You want to die?"

Kagami sighed and stood up, taking in a deep breath and gulping in some air. He was nervous because he knows what Yaguruma could do to him. "Y-Yaguruma-san," he stuttered, looking down at the ground. This was no time to be scared. Not yet. Kagami looked up at Yaguruma with a determined face and said, "If you want to find the light…you…you have to walk the path of the living!"

Yaguruma just stared at Kagami, raising an eyebrow. In his mind, he was thinking, 'Is this guy stupid?'

"I-I know it sounds stupid," Kagami continued, "but…you walk as if you're a dead man. I understand you've lost everything. Shadow, the TheBee Zecter, even Kageyama-san…but…" He clenched his fists and looked up at Yaguruma. "The light isn't meant to be seen with your head hung low, but it's found in the heavens with your head held high!"

Again, Yaguruma stared at Kagami. "…Is that what Tendou said?"

"Eh? N-No! This is what I think! I think…you've held on to your pride way too long, even after being removed from ZECT. And…I can help you find the light…if you're willing to let go of your pride."

The man paused and looked down at the ground, his hands on his hips. He sighed, thinking that Kagami didn't know what he was talking about. But it had been too long, it had been a whole year, and he still hadn't found the light. Maybe he was looking at the wrong place, all alone. He looked up at Kagami and said. "Where?"

Kagami then pointed to the restaurant next to the two. This whole time, they were at the Bistro La Salle.

-

The door opened, and Kizoku barged in, laughing loudly. "Ha ha ha! I am the best! I am the strongest! I am-"

"The loudest…" Orihime interrupted, standing in front of Kizoku with her hands on her hips. "I heard you killed Atlas. But where's the belt?"

"Heh. I destroyed it." Kizoku sat down and crossed his legs, running his gloved hands through his blonde hair. "There wasn't need for Atlas to join OMNI-ZECT. I am all OMNI-ZECT needs! I can even overtake the commander!"

Orihime rolled her eyes and headed for the back. "Oh, and make me an omelet rice with extra onions and soy sauce on the side!" He sat back and chuckled to himself. "I haven't had a chance to eat it yet the last time I came here.

A few minutes passed, and the plate was dropped in front of Kizoku, holding his omelet rice. "It's about time!" he exclaimed, opening his eyes. "What the hell took you…so…" His eyes widened when he saw who was standing in front of him. "No…I killed you! This is bullshit! I killed you!"

"Yeah, but I'm still here, aren't I?" Toushi chuckled, and Kizoku, in a fit of rage knocked the plate away. The loud crash made Orihime and Ms. Kagami look through the window. They watched Toushi land a right hook on Kizoku, sending him to the ground. "Food is god's sacred treasure. To waste it is to waste god's precious gift."

"I AM god!" Kizoku growled and stood up, holding his Rider Brace. "How dare you…the fact that you are alive tarnishes my perfect kill record! Damn you!"

"Really?" Toushi yawned. "Because I believe that you killing me made a mockery of my strength."

"You think you're stronger than me?!"

"I don't say I'm stronger. I say I'm…the strongest."

Kizoku was about to attack when the Worm Detector sounded from outside. He looked back, spitting out blood from when he was punched onto the food he destroyed, and stormed out. Toushi picked up the broken plates and looked back at Orihime, who nodded to him. He took his bag and also ran out, the sound of a motorcycle roaring falling faint from the restaurant's range.

-

The Pulex Worm, along with other Salis Worms began to attack in the Nakano district near the Arai Yakushi Shingon Buddhist temple, where people were in a panic as OMNI-ZECT Troopers held the Worms at bay. But the Pulex Worm jumped over the Troopers and attacked from behind, sucking one of the Troopers' blood. Kizoku, having been in a foul mood, climbs the stairs of the temple, taking the Gumo Zecter and slamming it onto his Rider Brace. "Henshin…" he growled as he transformed into Kamen Rider Gumo. Then he pulled back the abdomen of the Gumo Zecter, his armor peeling off. "Cast Off," he added, and the legs of the Zecter were extended. The armor flew off, knocking down the Pulex Worm as the legs of a spider closed onto Gumo's red visor. The transformation was completed with, CHANGE SPIDER!

Gumo climbed a nearby tree and jumped off, slashing down at the Pulex Worm. The Troopers took this time to attack and fight off the Salis Worms while Gumo took care of the leader. Nearby, Atlas was watching. Gumo carelessly slashed on the Pulex Worm, and it fell back, scared. "I'll kill you…I'll kill all of you! I'm the best! I am perfect!" Before he could finished off the Pulex Worm with his ninjato-like blade, the Worm managed to Clock Up and escape. But it didn't just escape, it escaped into the past. Gumo roared and slashed on the ground as the Troopers were getting beaten by the Salis Worms. "Shit shit shit SHIT!!" He noticed Atlas watching him and grew even more irritated. "Are you mocking me…Don't friggin' mock me!!"

-

Back at the Bistro La Salle, Yumiko and Hiyori were watching Kagami and Yaguruma in the kitchen. Hiyori remembered Yaguruma well, having tasted his cooking. But there were so many wasted food in the trash, she began to wonder what was going on. Yaguruma was currently working on his signature mabo tofu, but Kagami continued to say something was missing. "Stop screwing around!" Yaguruma roared at Kagami. "My mabo tofu was perfect!"

"Was perfect," Kagami repeated. "But why was it? Because it was meant for someone, meant for the people in Shadow. Meant for Kageyama-san when he was in the hospital." He looked at the mabo tofu, and then back at Yaguruma. "Your heart belonged to Shadow, so you have to place your heart in your cooking. It's not meant for Shadow anymore, it's meant for you." He then looked at his watch and put his hand on Yaguruma's shoulder. "Trust me." He then walked out, not before kissing Hiyori on the cheek, and left Bistro La Salle with his police uniform on.

Yaguruma looked at the food he was cooking and threw it out. He had to try something new…something meant for him. So taking one more block of tofu, he prepared mabo tofu once more. And at this try, he served it to Hiyori and Yumiko. They tasted it, and their faces lit up. Yaguruma raised an eyebrow and tried his own food, only to realize that Kagami was right. This food was meant for him, and only him. "I see…it's because I placed my pride, my perfection above everything else that I lost everything…but I put my heart in everything I do, and…"

All of a sudden, Kagami stormed back in. "Yaguruma-san! It's a Worm!"

Yaguruma stood up, and the two ran outside. Nearby in the docks where Yaguruma and Tendou had their fight, the Pulex Worm was attacking the shipworkers, sucking up their blood for more energy. "Let's go, Yaguruma-san!" Kagami said, but noticed that Yaguruma didn't open his Hopper Belt. "Yaguruma-san?"

"I can't…" he said to Kagami. "If I use that power…I will lose the light again…that power was given to me because I sought it, that I would do anything to get the light back…but if I have the light, then I have no need for it."

"Then how are you going to fight!"

"Oy! Nuisance!" said a voice behind the two, and Yaguruma turned around. It was Tendou, and he was holding a metal briefcase. "I managed to get this for you." He threw it to Yaguruma, and when he caught it, he opened it, only to find the Rider Brace and the TheBee Zecter inside. "I figured Kagami would pull this off, so I did my own thing." He stood next to Kagami with his Rider Belt on. "You two owe me…"

"Tendou!" Kagami happily exclaimed and looked at Yaguruma, who hesitated. He looked up at the Worm, then down at the briefcase. "Yaguruma-san," Kagami said, "if you don't want to…"

"No…" Yaguruma took the Rider Brace and slipped it onto his wrist. "This…is what I need to do to get the light." Then he picked up the TheBee Zecter as the Kabuto and Gatack Zecters flew around, flying into their respective owners' hands.

"HENSHIN!!" They all yelled and placed their Zecters onto their respective Henshin devices. Taking on new fighting forms, Tendou pulled back the horn of his Zecter, Kagami's the mandibles of his, and Yaguruma pushing forward the wings and turning the Zecter a hundred eighty degrees. CAST OFF went the Zecters as the three Riders' armors peeled and flew off. CHANGE BEETLE/STAG BEETLE/WASP!

"Iku ze (Let's go)," went TheBee as the three of them charged. Yaguruma attacked with his kicks on the Pulex Worm while Gatack, with his Double Calibers, slashed down continuously. When the Pulex Worm stumbled to Kabuto, it was kicked away towards Gatack.

Gatack pressed the button on his Zecter, releasing tachyon energy into his leg. "Rider Kick!" he yelled and kicked the Worm toward Kabuto, who pressed his Zecter's top buttons in a 1-2-3 fashion and pushed the Zecter horn to default position. "Rider Kick," went Kabuto as he kicked the Worm toward TheBee. TheBee pressed the button on the TheBee Zecter, allowing tachyon energy to flow through his left arm. "Rider….Sting!" he exclaimed and punched forward. The stringer pierced into the Worm's body and caused it to explode in green flames. The Zecters flew out of their devices, even the TheBee Zecter, and flew off into the sky. Yaguruma turned toward the river and looked up at the sky. He felt refreshed, renewed, and opened. The light was shining down on him.

"Hey, Tendou," went Kagami, "where did you get the TheBee Zecter?"

Tendou chuckled a bit and left. "From old friends of yours…"

-

Back in 2038, Gumo slashed at Atlas continuously, but missed horribly. "Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!" he roared and thrusted his blade at Atlas, who caught it and kicked Gumo away from him. "Why won't you die?!"

"You set your sights on your pride too much," Atlas answered, walking toward Gumo. He pressed the 1 button first as he did. Gumo roared loudly and pushed the abdomen of the Gumo Zecter forward, revealing the spiders' stingers. "RIDER STING!!" he exclaimed and ran at Atlas. Atlas pressed the 2 button, followed by the 3 and pushed the two Zecter Horns to default position. "Rider…Kick." He pulled it back, and the tachyon energy flowed through his right leg. As Gumo launched his Rider Sting punch at Atlas, Atlas turned, lifting his left leg up and turning completely to deflect the punch with said leg. Once the leg hit the ground, he lifted his tachyon-powered right leg and launched his Rider Kick at Gumo's side. The OMNI-ZECT Rider flew and hit a nearby tree, de-henshining and gasping. "That's why you lost."

The Troopers ran to Kizoku's aide, lifting him up and retreating. But before Kizoku was out of sight, he growled, "I'll remember this…I'll remember this, Tendou!!"

Soon, OMNI-ZECT was gone from the area, and the Atlas Zecter flew away, causing Toushi to de-Henshin. He looked down at his hands and flexed them. "I trained every day for the moment I accept my destiny…" he muttered. Then his hands turned into fists. "But…if I lost to that pride-filled idiot…am I…"

"Am I as strong as I thought I was?"


End file.
